Curiosity Killed The Cat

Emily Shakespeare never gets in any trouble. She is the best student at St Catherine's College. All of a sudden her school has been closed off, and no one knows why. When she tries to find out, she gets in more trouble than she had ever imagined...

3. The Flamingo Cafe

Sitting in The Flamingo cafe, I couldn't stop wondering why the school was closed. Was what the policeman said true, or had there been a break in? Maeve was sitting across from me, slurping up her pineapple oasis smoothie, all of the most exotic fruits blended together into one delicious drink. I had the usual, banana and strawberry, with a little umbrella resting on the glass.

"So, what do you think's going on at the school?" Maeve said between sips.

"My guess is as good as yours." I replied. Something caught my eye outside, and I glanced around just on time to see a sleek black tail disappear past the window. I felt a shiver run down my spine, and I turned away from the window. I looked up at the clock on the wall, which was pointing to 10 o'clock. We would have to head back home soon, explain what happened to our parents. Just then a horn beeped outside the cafe. I saw my mum in her little blue mini, signalling for me to come.

"Looks like I gotta go," I said, getting up to leave, "You can probably come too if you like."

"Nah, it's alright, I'll just hang round a bit more," Maeve smiled. I said goodbye and ran out to the car, where my mum was waiting impatiently. I climbed into the front seat beside her.

"What do you think your up to, young lady?" Mum said sternly; "Five minutes after you'd left the flat, I get a text from the school saying its been closed down temporarily, so I try to call you, but obviously your phone is off! Now, after driving around for at least an hour, worried you might be injured, I find you here!" I looked down, embarrassed. I'm not used to getting into trouble like this, but ever since I started hanging out with Maeve these kind of things keep happening. I can't think of a time in the past when I would just go off on my own without informing my mum first.

"I don't know what I think of this Maeve, she might be a bad influence on you. I mean, you could have been dead for all I know! You must promise to never, ever do that again, do you hear me?" said Mum, gripping the steering wheel tightly. That's the worst about my mum, she's far too over protective. I'm never allowed out after dark, even if that's five o'clock in Winter. I'm surprised she even lets me walk to school without her standing beside me, holding my hand. Actually, she used to do that, every day in my old school she'd walk me to school. But that made me look like a wimp, and I used to get bullied about it. Mum found out after a teacher saw me crying at lunch, and realised that maybe it was time I walked to school by myself.

"But if you ever are being treated unfairly again you just come and tell me, ok?" she had told me the first day I went to school be myself.

Later that week I met Maeve, who'd just moved in down the road. I was a bit scared of her to begin with, to be honest, with her pink highlights in her straight black hair and her crazy bangles all down her arm. She was wearing bright pink tights under her navy school skirt the day I met her in school, and her school jumper had been replaced by a wooly grey cardigan, with a hole in the sleeve. Her shoes were scuffed and the soles were hanging of at the back.

Mr Reddan, the principal, was giving out to her on the other side of the yard. He pointed to the school and she rolled her eyes and started walking to the front door. I was sitting on my own, reading a book as she walked past me. She stopped and turned to me.

"Can you show me where the toilets are?" Maeve asked me. I noticed that she had an awful lot of make up on her face, and the teachers obviously weren't too pleased about it.

"Sure," I smiled, putting my book in my bag. She followed me down the corridors, bangles sliding up and down her arm. She was tapping her hand on the wall, and when she thought I wasn't looking, she did a little spin as well.

"You like dancing?" I said, trying to be friendly. She looked embarrassed and I noticed her face going red. I bit my lip, I didn't mean to make her feel awkward. After a moment she spoke again.

"I want to be a dancer when I grow up, like super famous. But I'm the only one that thinks its possible " she sighed, looking at the ground.

"Anything's possible, when there's hope," I reassured her. I stopped outside the girls bathrooms, and she pushed open the door. She stopped for a moment and turned around.

I've been her friend ever since, and I've grown to like her style, rather than be scared of it. I can't imagine she finds me terribly interesting. She loves my family though, and Katellyne loves it when she tickles her tummy. My dad thinks she's great too, but Mum just thinks she's nothing but trouble. I know she's not the most organised, the neatest or the most responsible person I could be friends with, but she's funny, loyal and ambitious, and she is my only real friend.

There was silence for the rest of the journey home. I went straight to my room, and lay back in my bed. I thought I heard a scratching at the window, almost like a cats claws, but it must have been my imagination. Some time after that I drifted off, dreaming of mysterious black cats and banana smoothies...